It’s been a strange season for Stefan Matteau. The Devils’ first-round pick in 2012 had his first training camp shortened by the lockout only to find himself on the active roster after five games. Once the first year of his entry-level deal was enacted, Matteau stuck around for almost half the season before the Devils returned him to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. Of course, Matteau’s return to junior didn’t exactly end well.
Matteau reportedly split on the team, taking a fan bus home from a game after he was benched for the third period The team cut him and said he left without permission and there were reports of an altercation between Matteau and the team’s brass. Matteau’s agent, Pat Brisson, said he left with permission after he was cut because Matteau didn’t want to wait for a plane the next day.
Now, Matteau’s dad, former NHLer Stefane Matteau, says he doesn’t think the junior club treated his son the right way. The elder Matteau is also an assistant coach on the Armada, which makes all of this even more sticky.
“They released him on emotion and emotion only,” Stephane Matteau said. “In the semifinals, he got speared and he retaliated – it’s a hockey play – and they decided to sit him out the whole third period of a 1-1 game. Emotionally, he let the coach know it was unfair the way he was treated for that moment and they went at it verbally and they kicked him off (the team) five minutes after the game.”
Because of his obvious conflict of interest, Stephane, was not involved in the decision to release Stefan. He felt that Bouchard wanted to make an example of Stefan because he had spent the first two months of the NHL season with the Devils, playing in 17 games, before they returned him to Blainville-Boisbriand on March 17.
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“They wanted to set him as an example for the rest of the group,” he said. “When you’re in the spotlight – there’s a lot of guys that would take more penalties than he did – but they were waiting for the next mistake. Emotion took part on both sides. … I’ve never seen an organization releasing a guy five minutes after a game. It’s very, very, very disappointing. I’m very disappointed and I didn’t go back to work the next day. I did not go to work the next day. I did not interfere, but I did not agree with what happened.”
Corey Griffin
This all smells fishy — not a fish market at 1 p.m. on a hot sunny day fishy, but when someone hasn’t had their car cleaned in a while and you sit in it and after a couple minutes, you think to yourself, “Something’s weird in here.” You can’t quite put your finger on it, but there’s something “off.” This whole thing has turned into a giant he said-he said with both sides trying to justify immaturity. Stefan Matteau’s decision to get into a verbal disagreement with his coach after being benched probably wasn’t smart. Neither was riding the bus home — regardless of whether he’d already been cut. Of course, cutting a player five minutes (according to StefanE) after a game looks like the coach and GM were just waiting for the right opportunity. You don’t just suddenly cut a player with first-round talent from a junior club that quickly even if he plays undisciplined at times or maybe even if he’s upset about being benched. Whether they were trying to use him as an example is another issue entirely, but it’s pretty obvious they didn’t want Matteau on the team anymore and just needed a reason to cut him without looking bad.
The bottom line is this should (hopefully) be a lesson for both parties. Stefan Matteau needs to grow up — on the ice and off. Yeah, he spent two months with an NHL club and probably has a future as a third-line winger in this league, but getting kicked off your junior club for yelling at the coach and GM isn’t going to do you any favors with NHL execs and coaches. He’s far from the only professional athlete with an attitude problem at a young age. The NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB and minor leagues are filled with them. But there’s a difference between being a dick at 18 and 19 and still being one as a pro.
As for the undisciplined play? Well, that’ll get him booted from the league quicker than an attitude. Even guys like Matt Cooke, Steve Downie and Raffi Torres had to shape up before they were shipped out.
Even though the Devils’ 2013 season is over, we can still look back at some great moments in New Jersey’s playoff history.
On May 13…
2003- Four different Devils score goals, and Jay Pandolfo nets one and assists another, as the Devils blitz the Ottawa Senators 4-1 at Corel Centre in game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Martin Brodeur stops 30 of 31, as New Jersey evens the best-of-seven series at 1.
Even though the Devils’ 2013 season is over, we can still look back at some great moments in New Jersey’s playoff history.
On May 12…
1988- Mark Johnson and Patrik Sundstrom each record three-point games, leading the Devils to a 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins in game 6 of the Wales Conference finals at Brendan Byrne Arena.
New Jersey’s win evens the series at 3, forcing a winner-take-all game 7.
1995- Randy McKay’s goal at 8:51 of the first overtime lifts the Devils to a 1-0 win over the Bruins in game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Brendan Byrne Arena.
New Jersey takes a commanding 3-1 series lead. Mike Peluso’s forecheck created the turnover that led to the goal, but it is McKay’s celebration that lives in the minds of Devils fans.
2001- Brian Rafalski and Patrik Elias each gain two assists, and Petr Sykora scores twice as the Devils claim a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Continental Airlines Arena.
Devilish Decisions: Alexei Ponikarovsky
Pat Pickens
This is a series of posts on the Devils’ pending free agents (restricted and unrestricted). We’ll cover their strengths and weaknesses and end up with a final verdict on whether we think the Devils should re-sign the player. There will also be a poll at the end of each post so you guys can weigh in with your thoughts.
Position: Left Wing Age: 33 2013 statistics: 30 games with NJ/2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, minus-2 rating, 8 PIMs Free-agent status: Unrestricted 2012-13 salary/cap hit: $1.8 million/$1.8 million (via Cap Geek) Team history: Acquired in 2013 trade with Winnipeg Jets for conditional 2013 draft pick. Played in 33 games with the Devils during 2011-12 season, amassing 18 points.
What he brings: Ponikarovsky was a great checking-line forward in the Devils’ 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Finals. He scored a few timely goals this season and brings the always valubale “jam” to the lineup. ‘Poni’ also is a good dressing room leader and can play on any line.
Even though the Devils’ 2013 season is over, we can still look back at some great moments in New Jersey’s playoff history.
On May 11….
1994- John MacLean records two goals and two assists, and Claude Lemieux adds three points in New Jersey’s 5-3 win in game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Boston Garden.
The Devils claim the best-of-7 series, 4-2.
Devilish Decisions: Marek Zidlicky
Pat Pickens
This is a series of posts on the Devils’ pending free agents (restricted and unrestricted). We’ll cover their strengths and weaknesses and end up with a final verdict on whether we think the Devils should re-sign the player. There will also be a poll at the end of each post so you guys can weigh in with your thoughts.
Position: Defense Age: 36 2013 statistics: 48 games/4 goals, 15 assists, 19 points, minus-12 rating, 38 PIMs Free-agent status: Unrestricted 2012-13 salary/cap hit: $4 million/$4 million (via Cap Geek) Team history: Acquired in 2012 trade with Minnesota Wild for Nick Palmieri, Stephan Veilleux, Kurtis Foster and a third-round draft pick.
What he brings: There’s no doubt that the Zidlicky trade catapulted New Jersey to its deep playoff run in 2012. The Czech defenseman plays an offense-first game, in which he joins the rush and makes plays. He was the Devils’ lone offensive defenseman in 2013, often plays the power play and can go end to end like few other ‘D’ in the league.
Even though the New Jersey Devils are no longer playing as team, some Devils are still playing competitive hockey.
The IIHF World Championships are happening abroad– in Finland and Sweden, in fact. There are two Devils apiece on Teams USA and Russia and one on Team Sweden.
Ilya Kovalchuk posted three shots on goal in 23:19 of ice time in Team Russia’s stunning 2-1 loss to France on Wednesday.
Neither Kovalchuk, nor Andrei Loktionov gained points in Russia’s first tournament loss. Loktionov finished 6-for-11 on faceoffs.
In Sweden’s 3-0 loss to Canada, Devils defenseman Henrik Tallinder had two shots in 20:30.
Even though the Devils’ 2013 season is over, we can still look back at some great moments in New Jersey’s playoff history.
On May 9…
1994- Martin Brodeur stops all 22 shots he faces, pitching his first-career playoff shutout in New Jersey’s 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins in game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Brendan Byrne Arena.
2001- Patrik Elias scores twice, and Scott Stevens and John Madden each add a goal and an assist, as the Devils blitz the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 in game 7, winning the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, 4-3.
Elias’ game-winning goal:
Devilish Decisions: Steve Sullivan
Corey Griffin
This is a series of posts on the Devils’ pending free agents (restricted and unrestricted). We’ll cover their strengths and weaknesses and end up with a final verdict on whether we think the Devils should re-sign the player. There will also be a poll at the end of each post so you guys can weigh in with your thoughts.
Position: Left wing Age: 38 2013 statistics: 9 games with Devils/2 goal, 3 assists, 5 points/minus-4 rating, 4 PIMs Free-agent status: Unrestricted 2012-13 salary/cap hit: $1.85 million/$2.6 million (via Cap Geek) Team history: Drafted by Devils in ninth round (233rd overall) in 1994
What he brings: At a time when a lot of players are petering out, Sullivan managed to find a niche role for himself.Despite his advanced age, Sullivan can still put the puck in or immediately around the net. He showed that during his brief return to the Devils, serving as a solid, if unspectacular third-line winger for a severely banged-up Devils squad. He’s also responsible enough in his own zone that he’s not a liability in that sense and given his experience Sullivan can basically fit into any NHL system and pick it up pretty quickly. Also, as shown by his salary/cap hit above, you get a lot of bang for your buck with Sullivan, who had seven goals and 17 points in 33 total games this season and is still a half-a-point-per-game player.
